


13. Brave

by love_write_edit_sleep



Series: Li’l Logan 31 Fic Challenge [13]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Gen, Multi, kid!Logan, the subconscious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 14:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17163452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_write_edit_sleep/pseuds/love_write_edit_sleep
Summary: Thomas is starting to feel the effects of the Sides stress, Logan has fallen into a large problem, and Virgil realises that maybe he was wrong about Roman… but is it too late?





	13. Brave

“What do you mean: he knew you were lying?” Virgil cried, running down the stairs after Roman. “You think about going down here too?”

“That doesn’t matter right now!” Roman hissed.

“Yes, it does!” Virgil snapped. “You made such a big deal about Logan thinking about it, why are you any different?”

“Because I deserved it, but not him!” Roman snapped as they approached the first door. Roman slammed his body against it, almost knocking the door off its hinges, just in time to see Logan lose his grip on the doorframe and fall into the darkness.

“WO-MAN!”

“LOGAN!” Roman’s heart fell as Logan did, spurring the Creative Side to run even faster. Without a second thought, he dove through the door after Logan, Virgil screaming after him, skidding to a halt at the door and searching for any sign of the two Sides.

Roman gasped against the feeling of the Subconsious, his eyes burning with tears. He hated falling, hated darkness, hated the mere thought of losing his best friend. His heart raced in his chest as he conjured a ball of light in his hands, searching desperately for the tiny Side.

“Logan!”

“Wo-man!” Roman turned towards the sound, catching a glimpse of blue below him. He struggled for air, against the feeling of complete and total helplessness… He didn’t want to be here, not now, not ever. Mustering his strength, he twisted his body towards the sound of Logan’s cry until the small child was barely visible in the light.

The light flickered. Roman panicked.

He was going to fade, he was going to die. Thomas. He was going to-

“Wo-man!” Roman shook his head. He was close, Roman could feel it, so he dropped the light. As it fell, Roman curled up to make himself smaller, accelerating his decent past the falling light and-

Suddenly, his arms were full of Logan, the smaller Side trembling as he clung to him; the light falling past them and plunging them into darkness. Roman held Logan close, closing his eyes and willing himself to teleport. It wasn’t something he’d done before, he’d never needed to. He wasn’t even sure if he could, but Logan was relying on him… He had to try.

He had to, for Logan.

He hit the ground, crying out in pain as pain shot through his back. He tightened his hold on Logan, doing his best to cushion him as he felt himself fading away.

The last thing he heard was the sound of Logan’s sobbing.

* * *

“Roman!” Virgil’s hand was pressed to his chest, having jumped in fear when Roman seemingly fell from the ceiling and landed with a loud thud. He understood now why the others jumped at his ‘sudden appearances’. A shrill sobbing tore him from his thoughts.

“Oh my god, Logan…” Virgil knelt down beside Logan, who was lying on Roman’s chest, and gently reached out for him. “Logan, it’s Virgil, I’m gonna touch you, okay…?” Logan didn’t respond, so Virgil lowered his hand onto Logan’s back, rubbing it in an attempt to calm him. “It’s okay… You and Roman are both safe now, it’s okay…”

“I fought I was going to die…” Logan whimpered.

“No, no, we’d never let that happen… Especially Roman…” Virgil turned to Roman, who lay on the ground with his eyes closed. “Roman…?”

“Is he dead?” Logan choked, picking himself up to look at Roman. Virgil didn’t want to confess that he didn’t know… he’d never seen the Creative Side so still, and it didn’t help that Logan was still panting and whimpering.

“No… I-I don’t think so…” Virgil whispered, trying to push down the sudden panic rising in him. This was too much for anyone to handle, let alone the embodiment of Anxiety. “You’re on him, so… C-Can you feel his heartbeat, or something?” Logan blinked, looking down at Roman and placing one hand over the Prince’s chest.

“Yes.”

“Okay, he’s probably just… really tired from what he just did… Hell, I-I don’t even know what he did. He just… fre- freaking fell from thin air…” Virgil whispered. “Come on, let’s get him to the Mindscape.” The Anxious Side reached out to pick Logan up, only for the Logical Side to flinch back, his hand gripping at Roman’s shirt.

“Awe you going to take me away fwom Wo-man again…?”

Virgil felt his heart break.

“No…” Virgil whispered, dropping his hands to prove his point. “No, and… I was wrong to do that in the first place… Yes, Roman was an idiot, but… What I did was- was just as bad, if not worse… You know what you need, and I didn’t listen to you, like I never listen to you… And this happened a-and it’s all my fault and I-I’m so, so s-sorry, Logan!”

“It is alwight…” Logan whispered, making grabby hands at Virgil, who picked him up immediately and hugged him. Logan hugged back. “Your intentions were thewe… You fought so-man was a danger…”

“I was wrong, Logan…” Virgil whispered. “You shoulda seen him, he didn’t even hesitate, he just jumped right after you…” The two turned to look back at Roman. “Okay… I’m gonna take him back to his room, okay? You should go see Thomas and Patton, let them know you’re okay and all that…”

“Oh. Alwight…”

Virgil froze.

“O-or maybe you could stay with Roman in his room…?”

“Or… I could see Thomas and Patton, and then see Wo-man.” Logan forced a smile. Virgil forced one back.

“Okay.”

* * *

“Logan!” Patton gasped when the tiny Side popped up in his usual space.

“Hey, buddy!” Thomas looked so happy to see him that it hurt. Logan blinked back tears, trying his hardest to be brave, like a Prince. Like Roman. He’d fooled Virgil, maybe he could fool Patton and Thomas too.

At least, that’s what he thought, until Thomas picked him up, holding him carefully as though he would break at the slightest touch. As soon as Thomas whispered a soft ‘shh’ and rubbed Logan’s back, the Logical Side broke down.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay… tell us what happened.”

Logan did.

He told them about how much he’d wanted to see Roman, about how Virgil was being too overprotective, and about how he’d try to play with Roman, only to be ignored. He talked about how he’d heard Patton and Virgil, and gone to find Roman, but hadn’t found him in his room. He told them about going to the Subconscious, about how he fell in, and how Roman had saved him.

Once he was far calmer, Patton spoke up.

“Didn’t you hear Thomas call us?”

“No…” Logan sniffed. “Am I bwoken…?”

“No, no, of course not!” Thomas whispered. “It’s probably because you’re still stressed. Perhaps you blocked it out to avoid confronting more issues.”

“That makes sense!” Patton agreed.

“I want to go see Wo-man…”

“Okay.” Thomas smiled, putting Logan down. “Thank you for talking about it, Logan… That was really brave.”

“Like Wo-man?” Logan sniffed. Thomas nodded, a fond smile on his face.

“Just like Roman.”

* * *

Roman groaned as he blinked his eyes open. Oh, thank god, he was in his bed, in his room, not a shred of darkness to be seen.

But dear God, his head hurt.

“Hey, Princey… You alive?”

“Virgil…?” Roman weakly turned his head to look at the Anxious Side, who blushed slightly.

“Yup. How’re you feeling?”

“Ugh, I had a horrible Knight Mare. Logan had fallen into the subconscious and I- Ow, my head is pounding… What the hell happened? Did you hit me?”

“Um… You know that nightmare you mentioned?”

“ _Knight Mare_ , yes.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t a dream.” Virgil smiled fondly and indicated to the bed. Roman glanced down.

Logan was curled up under the duvets, his fists gripping Roman’s sash as though it were a lifeline. Roman chuckled, wrapping an arm around the tiny side.

“Ro… I was wrong to separate you both… Logan knows what he needs, and you’re clearly what he needs right now…” Virgil sighed. “He loves you, Princey. He just needs his big brother.”

“Big Brother, is that my role now?” Roman practically beamed, unable to contain his excitement that Virgil had just apologised, and told him he was Logan’s big brother figure. Virgil chuckled.

“I think it’s always been your role. I’ll leave you two to it. Shout if you need anything. And unlock the damn dreamscape, pocket protector.”

“Says you!” Roman sniggered. “Thank you, Virgil.” Virgil saluted to Roman before sinking out.

“Is he gone?”

“Logan!” Roman jumped at the sudden voice. “Yeah. He’s gone, were you pretending-?”

“Yes…” Logan whispered. “I… wanted to say t’ank you, for safing me… I wish I was as bwave as you…”

“Logan, I’m not brave.” Roman sighed. “I got scared.”

“But you still safed me, despite those feaws.” Logan smiled reassuringly. “Bwaver than Pwince Ewic.” Roman couldn’t hide the blush that rose to his cheeks.

“You know what’s brave?” Roman chuckled, reaching over and tickling Logan. “Going to the freaking Subconscious to look for me, that’s what.”

“Wo-man, stop!” Logan shrieked and giggled, batting at Roman’s hand. Roman gave in, resting his hand on Logan’s chest. “Wo-man?”

“Yes, itty bitty braveheart?”

“I don’t fink I efer want to go back to the Subconscious…”

“Yeah, me neither…” Roman chuckled. “I’m okay right here.”

“Me too.” Logan giggled. “Wo-man, can you tell me about one of youw adfentuwes…?”

“Of course I can!”

**Author's Note:**

> Merry (late) Bitchmas!
> 
> Coming up: Logan and Virgil


End file.
